Self-cleaning boiler.



PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908 J. M. WHETSTONE. SELF CLEANING BOILER; APPLICATION FILED APR. 1, 1907.

Inventor:

es. @a 25m} 45 JAMES M. WHETSTONE, OF WINTERSET, IOWA.

SELF-CLEANING- BOILER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1908.

Application filed April 1, 1907. Serial No. 365,818;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES M. WHETsToNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vinterset, in the county of Madison and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Self-Cleaning Boiler, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved steam boiler of simple and inexpensive construction, especially adapted for use in connection with two or more blow off pipes, whereby the deposit of sediment, or the incrustation within a boiler may be removed by means of the steam pressure within the boiler being forced out through the said blow off pipes.

A further object is to provide a boiler of this kind that may be constructed by using an ordinary cylindrical boiler, and attaching to it the device embodied in my improve ment.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination with an ordinary steam boiler, of a number of supplemental curved bottom plates, blow off pipes, and the brace rods whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a transverse sectional view of a boiler provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 shows a similar view of a slight modification, in which the boiler bottom is made of the same piece as the body of the boiler. Fig. 3 shows a central, longitudinal, sectional view of a boiler with my improvement applied thereto.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate a furnace casing in which the boiler is mounted.

The boiler proper comprises a cylindrical body portion 11 with boiler heads 12 and 13 fitted therein, in the ordinary manner. Mounted within the boiler body portion are the flues 14, and above the fines the boiler heads are braced by means of the rods 15; The central portion of the bottom of the cylinder 11 is supported and braced by means of a rod -16 extended centrally through the V boiler.

Formed in the bottom of the boiler is a number of substantially circular openings 17. In the present instance, two of these openings are shown. These openings cover substantially all of the space at the bottom of the boiler, or as near so as may be practicable. Each of these openings 17 is covered by a supplemental plate 18, connected with the body portion 11 by the rivets 19, said plates being curved and inclined downwardly from all sides towards its center, where pipes 20 are inserted, which communicate with the interior of the boiler. These pipes extend to points outside of the furnace casing, and are provided with valves 21. The portion of each pipe that is within the furnace walls is covered by a acket 22, preferably of fire clay, or other incombustible material.

Scale and sediment gather in the bl0woff pipes 20 and exclude the water therefrom, and for this reason I insulate said pipes from the intense heat through the medium of the before described jackets 22. It will be noticed in this connection, however, that all of the plates 18 except the central portions above the inner ends of the ackets 22 are exposed to the fire, and hence my improvements do not detract appreciably from the steaming quality of a boiler, but in cases where the blow off pipe is introduced into the bottom of an ordinary cylindrical boiler, the discharge of steam from the boiler through said'pipe will cause only a small quantity of the sediment and incrustation immediately surrounding the opening to be carried off by the out-going steam and water, and therefore, the cleaning of the boiler has been imperfect, and it is usually necessary to wash the boiler, to thereby carry off such sediment and incrustation as is not affected by the out-going steam and water.

The great advantage obtained by the use of my improvement is that substantially all of the bottom of the boiler is so shaped that the out-going steam and water will clean the entire boiler, as all of the space between the center and one end of the boiler is provided with a bottom that extends downwardly in every direction toward one blow off pipe, and all of the area at the other end extends downwardly in all directions to the other blow off pipe. The body of the boiler between the inclined plates, is supported and braced by means of a rod 16.

Another advantage of my invention is, that many boilers become burned out at the bottom, and while otherwise they are in good repair, they are not of any use on account of the defect in the bottom. With my improved invention, boilers of this kind may be provided with my improvement, and thus be used just as successfully as new boilers. By having a number of blow off pipes, the full force of the steam within the boiler may first be discharged through one, thus thoroughly cleaning the spaceat one end of the boiler, and-then the other may be opened, and thus the full force may be used for cleaning the opposite end of the boiler.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, therefore is- The combination of a furnace casing containing a combustion chambelg'a boiler arranged in the casing and comprising a cylindrical body having in its bottom two circular openings which extend from points at opposite sides of a narrow, transverse central bottom portion to points adjacent to the ends of the body, transverse strengthening means connected to said narrow portion and also to the upper portion of the body, plates connected to the body and closing said openings and inclined downward from all sides toward their centers and having central openings; the lower sides of the said plates being eX- posed throughout their areas in the combustion chamber, valved blow-off pipes leading from the central openings of the plates and through the casing, and means covering the portions of the pipes in the casing, for protecting said portions against undue heat.

Des Moines, Ia. 3, 16, 07.

JAMES M. WHETSTONE.

Witnesses:

A. W. WILKINSON, LEE B. TIDRIOK. 

